A Wiki is a website that allows anyone to easily add content or to edit
the content that is already in place.

A wiki enables documents to be written collectively in a simple markup
language using a web browser. A single page in a wiki is referred to as
a “wiki page,” while the entire body of pages, which are usually highly
interconnected via hyperlinks, is called “the wiki.”. Tuleap
offers an intermediate representation called a “Wiki Document”: it is a
wiki page that is directly accessible from the project wiki main page.

A defining characteristic of wiki technology is the ease with which
pages can be created and updated. There is no review or approval process
before modifications are accepted, and Tuleap wikis are open
to all Tuleap registered users.

In Tuleap wikis, there are three representations for each
page: the HTML code, the web page resulting from rendering that code by
a web browser, and the user-editable source code, from which the server
produces the HTML. The latter format, known as “wikitext”, is written in
a simplified markup language.

The reasoning behind this design is that HTML, with its large library of
nested tags, is too complicated to allow fast-paced editing, and
distracts from the actual content of the pages. It is also viewed as
beneficial that users cannot use all the functionality that HTML allows,
such as JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets, because of the
consistency in look and feel that is thereby enforced, and for security
reasons.

Wikis are a true hypertext medium, with non-linear navigational
structures. Each page typically contains a large number of links to
other pages. Links are automatically created using a specific syntax,
the so-called “link pattern.”

Tuleap wikis use CamelCase as a link pattern, produced by
capitalizing words in a phrase and removing the spaces between them (the
word “CamelCase” is itself an example of CamelCase). The term CamelCase
comes from the uppercase “bumps” in the middle of the compound word,
suggesting the bumps of a camel.

Tuleap wikis also allow other ways of creating wiki links by
putting anything into square brackets. This allows the creation of page
titles containing blank characters.

New pages in a wiki are created simply by creating the appropriate links
on a topically related page. If the link does not exist, it is
emphasized as a “new” link. Following that link opens an edit window,
which then allows the user to enter the text for the new page. This
mechanism ensures that so-called “orphan” pages (which have no links
pointing to them) are rarely created.

Important

Please note that if you need to make a reference to a wikipage of
another project and if the name of this wiki page is in CamelCase
style, contains spaces or special characters, you will have to use
the direct link, instead of the usual syntax.

The wiki has to be initialized by a project administrator before use:
simply click on the “Wiki” link in the service bar, select the wiki
language, press ‘Create’, and wait for the creation process to complete.

Please note that the language of the wiki is initialized once and for
all: it cannot be changed later, and it is viewed in the selected
language, whatever the user preferences.

The wiki creation phase creates a default set of useful wiki pages: a
welcome page, a sandbox to play with, the PhpWiki documentation, etc.

By default, Tuleap wikis are viewable and editable by any
Tuleap registered user.

While this is usually the best policy, some wikis should not be public.
For those cases, Tuleap offers a permission mechanism based
on user groups, as for file releases (see User Groups and Package Modification). Permissions may be
set at the wiki level, and apply to all pages, or at the page level, so
that only selected pages are protected.

Project Wikis hosted on Tuleap may typically be used for
many different purposes. The following examples are just suggestions:

Meeting minutes: wikis are very convenient places to hold meeting
minutes. Simply type the meeting name as a wiki link, click on this
new link and type the minutes. Additionally, anybody can edit and
correct the content later.

Project Calendar: Tuleap wiki pages may include a
shared calendar, that every team member can access and edit (see the
CalendarPlugin page).

Documentation: a wiki is a convenient way of providing project
documentation (user guide, administration guide, FAQ, etc.). This
documentation can be updated at any time by any team member, partners
or even customers if they have been granted proper access
permissions.